What does a Chamber of Commerce do?

When I accepted the position to be the new executive director of the Sleepy Eye Area Chamber of Commerce, I was excited to inform my family and friends of the new chapter in my book of life

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By Trista BarkaChamber of Commerce Director

The Sleepy Eye Herald Dispatch

By Trista BarkaChamber of Commerce Director

Posted May. 2, 2013 at 6:00 AM

By Trista BarkaChamber of Commerce Director

Posted May. 2, 2013 at 6:00 AM

Sleepy Eye, Minn.

When I accepted the position to be the new executive director of the Sleepy Eye Area Chamber of Commerce, I was excited to inform my family and friends of the new chapter in my book of life. As I shared the news, a repeating question was asked of me, what does a Chamber of Commerce do? I decided answering that question needs to be a priority to educate the membership and the public what role the Chamber serves our business community and the value it brings.

For only being on the job for a little over a month I have concluded, a Chamber of Commerce is simply a business network whose goal is to further the interests of the businesses, which can result in a business-to-business exchange that promotes services, products and self-promotion between members and the community.

The value of the Chamber of Commerce can be understood by our mission statement which is to preserve, promote and encourage participation in business, education and community growth and development. This is achieved by marketing local businesses and the entire community through the promotion of local business possibilities. The united voice of the Chamber of Commerce has often proven effective and beneficial to business where a single voice can go unheard. We need to ask ourselves, what kind of future do we want for our community. This answer will likely be different for each business or community member, but it is a conversation we must have to find a common ground.

Your participation and interest in your Chamber of Commerce is key to give the leadership of the Chamber the direction you want and for me to be a better advocate for our community. I look forward to your participation and continue to develop and mold the Chamber of Commerce to best serve you.